Youth coach arrested for lewd act on player

Man coached football, basketball for 32 years

A longtime youth football coach faced a judge Saturday morning after he was jailed when one of his players accused him of a lewd act, said Orlando police.

Jeffery Kerr McWhorter, 54, told Local 6 he is ashamed and embarrassed, but innocent.

Police escorted him to jail late Friday night as he still wore his coach's jacket for the Lorna Doone Cowboys youth football team.

McWhorter said police were not clear about the allegations during an interrogation.

"They just said lewd and lascivious act. I asked them on what? A woman? Man? What are you talking about? They wouldn't tell me nothing until they got me down here," said McWhorter. "They were talking and asking around, doing investigations. But I still did nothing wrong."

The OPD Special Victims Unit arrested McWhorter after police said one of his players accused him of a lewd act.

OPD Sergeant Diego Toruno said the boy only made the allegations a few days ago and he declined to elaborate on the allegations or the accuser. However, police fear there could be other victims.

The team practices at the Lorna Doone Park and police said recently, he's been volunteering for both football and basketball city leagues.

McWhorter can't think what he could have done to land him behind bars.

"They were asking about different people. But the people they were asking me about, nothing never happened, never," McWhorter said. "I would never touch them or never hurt them."

When asked what he would say to his family about the arrest, he simply replied, "It's embarrassing. I'm ashamed."

Police said his criminal record contains no red flags that would have indicated McWhorter would ever harm a child.

McWhorter made his first appearance Saturday, where a judge set his bond at $5000.

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